The ECHO Yearbook (Spring 1987)

Terence Bowens

Toughin' It Out

From The ECHO (Spring 1987):

"The Varsity Football Team finished the [1986] season in the new Region 5-AAAA with a record of 2-8. There were good aspects to every loss, though. For example, in the season opener against McEachern (ranked 9th in the State), even though the Jackets lost quarterback Marc Bagwell to a leg injury, Brad Martin did an excellent job of relieving him. Ainsley Watts also sprinted down the field for an 95-yard TD on a kickoff return, one of the game's highpoints.

The following week, however, the Jackets, looking for anyone to take revenge on, stomped Wheeler, a 17-9 victory. The final TD was made by David Hines, who kicked up the score when he found the hole, formed in part by Jay Eastland's expertise blocking of a Wildcat, and took off down the field for some 40 yards.

The final victory the Jackets claimed was over North Cobb. They were acutely aware of most everything the Warriors tried to pull. Matt Fasick started the scoring with a 38-yard field goal. Tragedy struck early in the fourth quarter, however, when Brad Martin came out with a hip pointer. Second string quarterback Greg Brown took over. While running the ball, though, Greg met up with few Warriors when going for the sidelines. The result: badly torn ligaments in the knee. Robbie Stockton replaced Brown effectively and ended the game with a score of 31-21.

Not having a great deal of size on the team helped contribute to some of the Jackets' losses. Lassiter's linemen averaged 35 pounds heavier that the Jackets, and Riverwood and Roswell had similar weight advantages.

No matter how hard they fought, the guys could only manage to win two games - on the scorecard, that is. There were planty of times when the Jackets pulled up their score trmendously in the second half, even though a win was not the result. These comebacks always made the games exciting. The Jackets' fans always felt a surge pf pride for the team whenever these drives began. The Yellow Jackets gave Walton, Riverwoord, and, especially Roswell, a run for their money.

Looking forward [to] next year, though, Jackets' fans can expect to see an even more experienced team, who will have learned from the mistakes of this year well enough to apply that knowledge toward the '87 season."